Juraj Slafkovsky Named NHL’s 3rd Star Of The Week

Along with Slafkovsky, the NHL also honoured Eeli Tolvanen as the 2nd star and Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov as the 1st star of the week. However, both players played 3 games during the week, which allowed them to produce more points.

If the NHL took into account Slafkovsky’s game from the previous Sunday, it’s very likely that he would have been the 2nd star or even the 1st star, as it’s been 3 straight games that the Slovakian star has been on a heater. In the Sunday contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins just over a week ago, Slafkovsky was all over the ice with linemate Ivan Demidov as he picked up 2 assists in the game. Slafkovsky also scored a goal the previous night against the Penguins, meaning the Habs forward now has 8 points in his last 4 games.

It took 3.5 seasons, but it seems that the player the Canadiens were expecting to get when they drafted Slafkovsky first overall in 2022 has arrived. The 21-year-old has been arguably the best forward on the Habs ever since he was moved to play with Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, even when the points weren’t coming. Once he was placed on their line, he started to show that he can drive play and proved that he really was the same guy who dominated the 2022 Olympics with Slovakia, helping them to their first-ever medal in hockey when they won bronze. 

However, now that the points are coming, he will start getting more respect around the league and will continue to only grow into one of the best power forwards in the game over the 3-4 years. On top of that, the point totals will only give him more confidence to make the plays he needs to help his team win. While he didn’t score on the play, during Sunday’s overtime against the Lightning, he wasn’t afraid to try to drive through a 1-on-3 situation where he managed to keep the puck after attempting to beat them with his size.

The reality is while Slafkovsky has great hands, his 6’3″, 225 lb. body is one of his best assets, as he’s no longer afraid to use his size to his advantage. This is something that he started after the Four Nations last year, which really helped his game, as did being separated from Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, as it allowed him to start driving play. Slafkovsky has started shooting more which is making him a true double threat at times. When you put together his puck skills, underrated shot, big body, 2-way game and ability to drive play, Slafkovsky has the potential to one day be the best modern-day power forward in the entire NHL at one point or another.

At the end of the day, Slafkovsky may never lead the Habs in points, but with everything he does, he is proving that he was well worth the 1st overall pick in his draft year. Right now, he can arguably be considered the team’s best overall forward, as he brings solid play at both ends and can do a bit of everything.